Fantasy World Online I: New Roads

New Roads! Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Outside the Walls of Djaden City

I was walking down the dirt road toward a series of farms. Through my online readings, I had learned that Farm quests were a good way of earning free cooking ingredients while grinding. Since I still had a week before the Expedition departure I wanted to gain levels.

I entered the first farm and talked a bit with the women inside. She asked me to help build the well a farm away. I accepted the quest and went to the next farm. I visited 7 farmhouses, talked to a dozen workers in the fields and accepted all their quests.

Kill 5 foxes (x3).

Kill 20 rabbits (x2).

Gather herbs.

Help mow the wild grass.

Help milk the cows.

Help pick up the eggs.

I started hunting rabbits in a lettuce field. Since I had sparred with the Training Hall Master I had discovered that blindly hitting your enemy was not the best way to win. You had to target specific areas that were more vulnerable, time your attacks so that you would not be parried and block or parry yourself when necessary.

Rabbits were small and had a tendency to escape when they saw you. Adding to this they were quick and suddenly changed directions they turned out to be more difficult to hunt then I thought.

It took me a whole in-game morning to finish hunting down 40 rabbits I went back to the farmers to receive my reward. It was a mere 40 bronze coins and 5 carrots each. My sole consolation was that I got to keep the Rabbit meat I looted.

I quickly ate a light lunch and started hunting foxes. They were different than the Rabbits as they didn't hesitate to fight back and moved alone. They were also easier to find as they kept around the Chicken Dens.

By sundown, I had finished all the quests except mowing the grass and building the Well. That kind of repetitive tasks made your fatigue rise quickly and with the intent to reproduce reality to its closest working under the mid-day or afternoon sun could dehydrate you.

I drank from my gourd and ate a piece of bread then went to the well. Three (3) men had started to dig a hole in the ground, it was a meter deep and two (2) meter wide. One of them looked at me.

"What can I do for you, young sir?"

"I am here to help."

"I see. Take a pick-ax and help soften the earth."

I did as told and joined the others. They were players. I knew because they wore metal breastplate over their tunics and one had a hammer hanging from his belt.

"Hey, never saw you before. Did you just get out to level 8?"

"Yeah, yesterday. You?"

I started to swing the ax down.

"A few days ago. I'm level 14 now. One more and I will go get my job."

"Congrats."

We kept working in silence for a while until the second player had to sit down.

"I don't have a gourd yet."

"Here, take from mine."

I pulled mine from my backpack and handed it to him.

"Thanks."

"Nice gourd, man."

"Got it on a quest."

It was a lie but they seemed to accept it.

From there we switched the pick-ax for a shovel and started digging. When the ground was higher than our heads we had to change methods. One of us would cement stones around the hole, another would dig and pass earth filled buckets to the third who would have to empty it further away.